


From Now

by baeconandeggs



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Romance, Slice of Life, alternate universe - while you were sleeping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-14
Updated: 2018-05-14
Packaged: 2019-05-07 01:51:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14660843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baeconandeggs/pseuds/baeconandeggs
Summary: While You Were Sleeping!AU Park Chanyeol dreams of happenings in the future. Birth, death, despair, joy, thrill and sorrow, he has seen it all, yet the moment a beautiful brunette perished within his nightmare, Park Chanyeol can no longer pretend to ignore his dreams. He suddenly desperately wishes to change the future.





	From Now

**Author's Note:**

> **Author:** [bbyrain (LJ)](https://bbyrain.livejournal.com/)  
>  **Prompt #:** BAE189
> 
> **Disclaimer: baeconandeggs/the mods is/are not the author/s of this story. Authors will be credited and tagged after reveals.** The celebrities' names/images are merely borrowed and do not represent who the celebrities are in real life. No offense is intended towards them, their families or friends. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this fictional work. No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> **Author's Note:** First all, thank you to the amazing mods for hosting this fest and thank you for granting me the much-needed extension. Boy, I honestly don’t know what to say, because I decided to change the entire plot of my story in the last two weeks before final submission *facepalms*. So I apologise for making the story so rushed. While writing this, the While You Were Sleeping OSTs were on a constant repeat on my laptop. I also suggest you hear the songs, especially “It’s you” by Henry while reading this. And that is all by me. Thank you so much for reading this and I sincerely hope you enjoy it. Let’s all continue to love Chanbaek!

You’re the right time at the right moment

You’re the sunlight keeps my heart going

Know when I’m with you can’t keep myself from falling

Right time at the right moment

It’s you

\- _It’s You_ , Henry

~*~

_It occurred during the first rain that spring as soaked white petals landed upon wet ground._

_It was five minutes after midnight, and the blurry road ahead carried the weight of soft raindrops and fallen flower petals. Everything felt too calm, too peaceful. Park Chanyeol noticed the slope of the road. The flower petals caught up in the gust of wind, sweeping down the track as one of the street lights flickered. The rain grew heavier._

_Park Chanyeol looked down. The twinkling city beneath the cliff highway looked pretty on a raining night. The young police officer wondered what he was doing up here. Surely, he wasn’t only here to enjoy the blooming cherry blossoms of early spring. Chanyeol looked around. Ah, so he wasn’t alone._

_A few steps away from him stood someone else, a boy it seemed. Chanyeol noticed his school uniform, a high school student perhaps. From his brown hair to his dark sneakers, everything was soaked. The boy merely stood there, peering down at the darkness beyond the silver guardrail with a backpack on his back. Did he not return back home? It seemed pretty late at this hour._

_The boy abruptly looked up. As if he felt Chanyeol’s presence, he looked over. But surely that wasn’t possible, how could he see Chanyeol? Nonetheless the sudden movement made the young police officer a little nervous. Maybe he should blend himself a little into the shadows._

_Chanyeol noticed the boy had beautiful eyes as they reflected the flickering street lamp. He looked like a wet puppy, thought Chanyeol. It occurred in such an abrupt moment, but a pretty smile blossomed over the boy’s face. His beautiful eyes transformed into dazzling crescents; it was the type of smile that could take one’s breath away, the type that made people realize exactly the moment they had fallen in love. Chanyeol felt the urge to smile back._

_The boy quietly stepped between the space of the disconnected guardrails and leaped beyond._

That was the first time he appeared in Park Chanyeol’s dream.

~*~

The moment he woke up Chanyeol found it hard to breathe. It was like this every time he dreamt of death.

If there were one thing that excluded Park Chanyeol from the rest of the world (so far to his knowledge), then that would be his dreams. Everyone else would dream of memories of the past or fantasies of non-existent events, but the twenty-four-year-old police officer dreamt of neither. Park Chanyeol dreamt of happenings that were destined to occur in the future, and his dreams were never proven to be wrong. He didn’t know how or why it started, but most of the times Park Chanyeol merely wished he could just not dream at all. The word exhaustion could only cover so little of what the man had to go through each night. Reality was just such a scary thing.

That dream was horrible. It was breathtakingly tragic, yet everything about it was also mesmerizingly beautiful. With wide eyes and shaky fingers Chanyeol wrapped the quilt tight around his torso. He blinked with wide eyes at the dark space above him. He must’ve cried, the wetness around his eyes told him so. It was the first time in a while since he cried over a dream.

But that wasn’t the first time Chanyeol dreamt of a stranger dying. He should feel unaffected. Yet something about the boy and his eyes and his smile just couldn’t leave Chanyeol’s mind. It was almost four in the morning as Park Chanyeol laid awake on his bed with frightened wide eyes and heavy pants. His chest felt heavy and tight as if someone forcefully squeezed his heart for the sake of pain. Park Chanyeol just couldn’t ignore that dream like all the other dreams, he couldn’t. The pain was too real. Everything in that dream was just so chilling and sad and abrupt yet terrifyingly peaceful and incredibly beautiful.

The boy. He was beautiful.

Despite years of dreaming of countless strangers, Chanyeol knew he wouldn’t easily forget the face of that boy and the final expression on his face. There was no explanation for this mixture of feelings by but Chanyeol knew he wanted to do something; he needed to do something, anything.

For the very first time since Chanyeol received his very first dream, the man suddenly, desperately and unexplainably wished to change the future.

~*~

“Are you still alive Park Chanyeol?”

The said man flinched in the driver’s seat as he shook his head. That was right, he was on suburban patrol for the morning. “E-eh yes.” Chanyeol replied back to the radio. “Everything is fine at the moment. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

He sighed. Because of lack of sleep Chanyeol was losing his focus. And his partner Oh Sehun just so happened to call absent today. What a shitty start to a new day.

As he drove around the winter streets, Chanyeol sleepily yawned. Same old same old, it was a school day, so the streets were quiet. Everyone was either in school or at work, hardly anything dangerous could happen. But as Park Chanyeol drove past an alley, the police officer gradually slowed down.

What was a student doing outside of school at this hour? Not that it was any of his business, but it was Chanyeol’s duty as a police officer to protect the safety of all residents. The student remained crouching with his backside facing Chanyeol. Was he alright?

Chanyeol parked the police car on the side of the street and stepped out. Just a few steps and he arrived behind the male student. “Are you okay?” The police officer questioned.

The boy visibly flinched as he turned. Chanyeol felt short of breath as utter shock took over his system. It was him. Unquestionably it was him. His brown hair and uniform and beautiful eyes, Chanyeol knew this was the boy that appeared in his dreams. Without realizing, the police officer took a step back.

“Y-yes.” Within the arms of the boy was a white puppy. A stray, it seemed. The boy looked equally as surprised as Chanyeol. Both of them remained quiet.

Deciding he should say something, Chanyeol asked, “What are you doing outside of school?”

At that, the boy’s bewildered expression turned into one that was rather mischievous. An innocent youthful smile, one that sped up Chanyeol’s heartbeat for no particular reason.

“You aren’t going to report me to my school, right? Officer… Park.”

Chanyeol suddenly felt flustered by the call of his name, before realizing the obvious presence of his name badge on the front of his vest. How completely foolish of a twenty-four-year-old grown up to feel this way. “…No.” He replied sheepishly.

Something about the boy was entirely different to the one that appeared in Chanyeol’s dream. It made the policer curious. Who was this boy exactly? What was his life like? Was everything in his life going alright?

_What made someone seemingly cheerful and normal decide to end his life like that?_

“This puppy is so cute but I don’t have anything to feed it.” The boy stood up with the puppy cradled in his arms. His eyes looked like twinkling stars as they glanced at Chanyeol with hope. “Would you be so kind and feed this puppy, Officer Park?”

Park Chanyeol had always been told that he was easily persuaded by others. It was the exact reason why he found himself carrying two convenient store-bought hotdogs back to the police car where the boy sat with the puppy. He was on duty, and this certainly wasn’t part of his job description. Chanyeol wondered what was wrong with him. Maybe the lack of sleep really got into his head.

“I’ll take care of the dog. You should go to school. Eat this on the way if you wish.” The police officer handed the hotdog to the boy, who frowned at what he just said. “But I can’t. I need to head to my job.” The boy said.

At that Chanyeol crossed his arms. “Okay young man, I wasn’t going to comment on this but the fact that you are wearing a uniform means you are a student, and a student should be at school at this hour. I excused the puppy but going to your job isn’t a good enough excuse to skip school. I don’t think your school will be approved of this if they know what you are up to.”

Park Chanyeol always saw this day coming but he didn’t know it would arrive so soon; he just sounded exactly like his nagging mother. The boy snatched the hotdog from Chanyeol’s hand after placing the puppy on the car seat. “Well too bad! I’ll be at the police station by six and I expect to see the puppy well and alive. See yah later Officer Park!”

And with that, the boy jumped out of the car and disappeared into the streets.

_What?_

~*~

Despite attaining the ability to dream of it, Chanyeol had always been timid when it came to encounter the future. He was scared to make the wrong moves, afraid to challenge against destiny. When he met the strangers in his dreams, he tended to avoid them, even if he knew they were about to encounter a tragic fate. Because nothing good would come out of getting himself involved, it was just none of his business. The world wasn’t his to save. Park Chanyeol was a coward and he knew it very well.

So, was it selfish and wrong of him right now to suddenly care about that boy? After all, he was just another stranger that materialized in the another of Park Chanyeol’s dreams. _And who was Chanyeol anyway to decide that he was the one to change the future?_

Maybe he should just forget about that dream.

At exactly six o’clock, the boy happily arrived inside the police station while humming a little song. Despite the fact that Chanyeol’s shift was over hours ago, he stayed back with the puppy. The police officer swore sergeant Kim Joonmyeon was giving him the look while he wasn’t looking. _Because what kind of fool stayed back after work hours just to care for a stray animal?_ Ah yes, Park Chanyeol was that kind of fool.

“You are a kind person Officer Park, for sticking to the words of someone you don’t even know.” The boy grinned as he took the puppy into his arms. There were red marks around the boy’s wrist, which Chanyeol took notice of. “Where do you work?” The police officer questioned out of suspicion.

“Oh! It would be rude if I don’t introduce myself.” Said the boy. “My name is Byun Baekhyun. I work at XX café.”

Where did those marks come from? Was he okay? Was he hurt anywhere else? Those were questions that occupied Chanyeol’s mind as his eyes scanned Baekhyun up and down. Still in the same uniform with the same backpack. “What are you going to do with the puppy?” Asked the police officer as he stood up.

“Hmm, I don’t know.”

“You know, since you already involved yourself in its life, you should take some responsibility.” And who was Park Chanyeol to say that? A moment ago, he was about to convince himself to forget all about Byun Baekhyun.

_Ha, what an inspirational quote spoken by a coward._

Baekhyun frowned. “But where I live, pets aren’t allowed… Hey! Since Officer Park is such a kind person, can the puppy live with you? Please?!” The boy shook the puppy with excitement and anticipation. “I promise I’ll look after it as well, but don’t you think it’s too cruel to let it live on the streets?”

Chanyeol wished he could look away from two pairs of puppy eyes staring right into his soul.

_“Please?”_

~*~

They have met for less than a day and Park Chanyeol had already done everything Baekhyun told him to do, that was, including driving the boy home because _“it’s a police officer’s job to care for the safety all residents, right?”_. Despite the fact that the stray dog could be infested with a thousand diseases and Chanyeol could possibly die, the police officer still surrendered to Baekhyun’s plea of taking care of the puppy.

“How old are you?” Chanyeol asked suddenly in the car. Baekhyun paused from playing with the puppy and answered, “I’m in my last year of high school.”

Park Chanyeol was actually following the demands of someone five years younger than him. If his older sister knew this she would be calling him an utter sore loser. “Wouldn’t your parents be worried that you are so casually hanging around a stranger?” But it wasn’t that Chanyeol disliked Baekhyun’s presence or anything. In fact, he was glad that the boy was sitting right beside him at this very moment. _Because he was alive._

“Both of my parents died when I was ten.”

Chanyeol blinked. “O-oh. Sorry I shouldn’t have mentioned that.” Baekhyun shrugged. “It’s okay. I wasn’t particularly close to them when they were alive because they were always so busy. Plus,” He paused and grinned. “you are a good person Officer Park. Even though I have only met you for less than a day, I can just feel it."

Something about the boy’s smile was just so charmingly entrancing. Chanyeol probably should place his focus on the road ahead.

As the police officer parked his car, Baekhyun spoke, “Hey Officer Park, do you want to exchange numbers?”

And that was how Park Chanyeol (24) and Byun Baekhyun (19) miraculously became friends over a stray puppy, who they named Leo after Chanyeol found out it was a boy. Chanyeol also learnt that Baekhyun was on a high school scholarship and had two part-time jobs to maintain a living since he lived on his own. On the outside, Byun Baekhyun was just someone bright who seemed to have a good future ahead of him. There were moments when Chanyeol completely forgot about his dream, because the Baekhyun he met in real life was just so different to the one in his dream. Was it possible that for the first time, his dream was wrong?

Park Chanyeol didn’t know.

~*~

There was always something about the future that scared Chanyeol. Were things just destined to occur? Since he could see everything that was going to happen in the future, did it mean our destinies were written before everything else? What made Park Chanyeol afraid of the future the most was what if he couldn’t change it? What if in the end all his effort used to alter the fate of Byun Baekhyun would simply fade into nothingness? _Just, what if…_

As Chanyeol patrolled around the district with his partner Oh Sehun, he felt distracted. “I’m hungry. What do you wanna get for dinner?” Asked Sehun. Chanyeol’s head was too occupied by his own thoughts to realize the time. That was right, their shift was about to end soon.

In reply, Chanyeol shrugged. “I don’t mind anything.”

“I got a discount coupon for a café nearby, wanna go there?”

~*~

“Hey Officer Park!” Greeted Baekhyun in a waiter’s attire as he brought out two menus. With wide eyes, Chanyeol offered back an awkward nod. He swore he saw Sehun sneaker in the corner. Out of all the cafes in the district it just so happened Baekhyun worked here.

After taking their orders, the boy left to serve other customers. “What?” Chanyeol scowled at his co-worker.

“Dude, not that I care but he looks too young. You’ll risk getting yourself arrested, and most likely by a co-worker.

That’s gonna make things hella awkward.” Under the table Chanyeol gave Sehun a good hard kick, except he missed. “Shut up asshole it’s nothing like that.” Murmured Chanyeol. _Plus, he’s already nineteen, and just so happened to have the face of a baby._

Sehun shrugged. “Whatever. By the way, did you know about the bullying case in a local high school from two years ago? Apparently, it was pretty big, and a kid died because of it. Today counts as two years since it happened. Hey! Are you even listening?”

Chanyeol was brought out of his daze. “Hm? Yeah.” The other police officer rolled his eyes.

It wasn’t that Chanyeol didn’t want to hear what Sehun had to say, but his attention just automatically transferred onto Baekhyun as the boy moved back and forth within the café. Since the first time they met, Chanyeol always felt an urge to keep an eye on Baekhyun. Just to be safe, the police officer thought to himself. Just to be safe. It wasn’t that Baekhyun didn’t have the capability to look after himself but there was still so much about the boy Chanyeol didn’t know, and so much could happen even within a limited amount of time. There was also no chance Chanyeol could confront Baekhyun about his dream, because Baekhyun would see him as a total nut job and start to avoid him. Park Chanyeol felt like he was at a loss here.

Chanyeol knew he was being way too obvious and probably looked like a creepy stalker, but he just couldn’t take his eyes off of Baekhyun. Aside from watching out for the boy, there was also something so mesmerizing about Byun Baekhyun that Chanyeol couldn’t look away. The way he smiled kindly at the other customers, the way he handled things gently with ease and just his presence in general; Park Chanyeol couldn’t explain this feeling. The more he watched the more curious he grew.

_Who exactly was Byun Baekhyun? What did his home look like? Did he feel lonely living by himself?_

Baekhyun’s movements seemed to have suddenly become a little uneasy, which made Chanyeol frown. The boy hurriedly moved away from the customers and dashed inside a ‘staff only’ room. The police officer felt concerned. Was he okay? Soon followed by Baekhyun’s disappearance arrived a group of high school students inside the cafe. Just your casual showoffs, thought Chanyeol. He paid them no mind.

Half way through the meal, accompanied by Sehun’s endless talking, the police officer started to feel anxious. Baekhyun still hadn’t come out of the staff room and awhile had passed. Was he in trouble?

“Hey Chanyeol? Park Chanyeol! Where are you going!?”

Ignoring his co-worker, the said male moved towards the room that Baekhyun entered. He didn’t care that he was trespassing, because he just needed to make sure that Byun Baekhyun was okay. With firm hands Chanyeol pushed open the door and scanned across the dark interior. Where was Baekhyun? Why were the lights off? What-

The police officer detected small movements from a corner of the room and quickly stepped over. “Baekhyun?” He called out worriedly.

Beneath him crouched the small figure of the boy who seemed almost as if he was hiding from someone. It concerned Park Chanyeol because despite the darkness, he could see alarm and fear that lingered over Baekhyun’s usually cheerful features.

“O-officer Park.” Stuttered the younger as he picked himself up from the floor.

“Is everything okay?” Chanyeol questioned. It felt as if Baekhyun hauled a protective instinct out of him, one that wished to shield the boy from everything in the world that could hurt him. “Eh yeah.” Baekhyun’s smile seemed forced as he brushed the dust off of himself. _“Everything’s fine.”_

It wasn’t, Chanyeol could tell, but he didn’t want to push it. “When does your shift end?” Instead he changed the topic.

“In around half an hour. Why?”

The police officer smiled as he ruffled Baekhyun’s hair. _Soft._ “Because as _a responsible policeman_ , I’m sending you home.”

~*~

Sometimes Park Chanyeol wondered how the fuck did he get some things done. Like, how did he even persuade his asshole of a partner to leave without finishing the food, or how did he manage to get back to the police station, change into his normal clothes and drive all the way back to the café under thirty minutes? Everything just occurred in such a hurry that Chanyeol lost track of how those things came to be.

As he waited inside his car, Chanyeol peered out the window. It started to snow, he wondered if Baekhyun wore clothes warm enough for the chilly weather. The police officer sighed as he pressed his head against the steering wheel. _If only he knew more about Baekhyun. If only he knew what was going on inside Baekhyun’s head. If only he knew what Baekhyun was hiding away from._

A tap on the car window made Chanyeol sit up abruptly and he was greeted by Baekhyun’s lovely grin. As if the expression contained a kind of magic power, the police officer’s worries immediately vanished the moment the boy sat himself in the passenger seat.

“Good work for today.” Said Chanyeol as he restarted the engine. “Thank you.” Baekhyun seemed normal, like nothing happened. “Can I visit Leo? I don’t really feel like going home right now.”

Park Chanyeol was taken aback. They have met up a few times outside so Baekhyun could see and play with the puppy, but this was the first time the boy would visit his place. Chanyeol suddenly felt a little nervous, but he couldn’t exactly reject Baekhyun, not when the boy was staring at him with those sparkling puppy eyes again.

The moment they arrived in Chanyeol’s apartment, Leo dashed right into Baekhyun’s arms. “I feel hurt.” Chanyeol whispered with a smile as he took off his coat.

“You have a nice place Officer Park. Honestly I was expecting it to be messier.” The boy grinned as he played with the puppy.

Chanyeol frowned. “Hey, I’m not that sloppy. Are you hungry?” Baekhyun sheepishly nodded. “A bit.”

“Hmm.” The police officer looked inside his fridge. “I hope you’re alright with kimchi fried rice.”

Baekhyun was quiet while Chanyeol cooked in the kitchen, he wondered what was on the boy’s mind. “Oh my god! You are already so kind, but you are even good at cooking! It would be so easy to fall in love with you Officer park.” Baekhyun said as he happily dug into his meal.

Sitting opposite of him, Chanyeol hid away his blushing face. He knew he shouldn’t be getting flustered over a small compliment but because Baekhyun was the one who said it, it made Chanyeol’s heartbeat speed up. “Why do you make it sound as if it’s a bad thing.” The police officer murmured out of embarrassment. The younger merely grinned in return.

Chanyeol wasn’t sure if he should mention about what happened earlier. But something was definitely not right despite the fact that Baekhyun acted as if nothing was wrong. “Hey, about earlier, were you okay-”

“It’s snowing a lot outside don’t you think?” Baekhyun immediately interrupted and changed the topic while focusing down at his plate. He looked up and smiled, something about the hardened expression told Chanyeol that he should stop talking. “Eh. Yeah. Yeah it is.” Hesitantly, the police officer replied.

_What was Byun Baekhyun hiding?_

That night Baekhyun didn’t go home. The boy insisted Leo would feel sad if he did, so Chanyeol let him stay without throwing too many questions. Something about the atmosphere made the police officer to decide against prying too much. It felt as if Byun Baekhyun was a closed flower bud. If Chanyeol forcefully peeled open every petal, the flower would lose its beauty and eventually die. Maybe Park Chanyeol was afraid of the responsibility for picking up lifeless petals.

But the next day when Chanyeol woke up early to made breakfast for the two of them, it seemed the flower already vanished from his grasp and left behind only an empty bed.

~*~

_I have to head to school early. Thanks for last night Officer Park :)_

At least Park Chanyeol felt reassured at work from Baekhyun’s text message. So he was safe, that was all that mattered. As the day passed by, Chanyeol decided he should put his mind into his work, instead of thinking about Baekhyun all day. Considered that he was hardly making progress in his plan of ‘saving’ Baekhyun, at least he should perform his actual job right.

Chanyeol wondered what he should cook for dinner tonight. Despite the snow last night, the weather was turning warming, meaning spring was coming. Chanyeol was suddenly reminded of the flowers he saw in his dream. No, if spring were to come, that meant he was running out of time. _Byun Baekhyun was running out of time._

Park Chanyeol couldn’t let his dream happened for real. He couldn’t, not after getting himself involved in Baekhyun’s life. Not after witnessing the boy’s lovely smile in front of him.

All that thought made Chanyeol trip on his own foot as he walked towards his apartment door with groceries in hand. “Shit!” He uttered as items inside the plastic bags fell to the ground.

“Need a hand there?”

Park Chanyeol immediately looked up at the figure standing in front of him. What was Baekhyun doing here in front of his apartment? “What? Why are you here?”

The boy pretended to purse his lips. “Not happy to see me? I thought I should visit Leo again because I missed him at school, so I came straight here. Who knew you would take so long.” It was already dark outside, Chanyeol wondered how long Baekhyun actually waited for him. He suddenly felt bad for leaving work so slowly. “You should’ve told me, so I could return sooner.”

Baekhyun shrugged. “Oh well. But all that waiting made me hungry. What’s for dinner?”

“Eh.” Chanyeol fumbled for his key. “Well, the only edible dish I can make is kimchi fried rice so. Um.”

“Then should I make us something?” Asked the boy as he stepped inside Chanyeol’s apartment, the police officer followed. “I would consider myself pretty decent at cooking.”

Chanyeol thought, why not.

The police officer stood by the kitchen counter as he watched Baekhyun wash and dice the vegetables with rolled up sleeves. It was rather comical, because the boy insisted on wearing an apron and the only one Chanyeol could find was a pink one left behind by his sister when she visited a year ago.

“It’s not that funny.” Mumbled Baekhyun as he turned on the stove. “Stop laughing. I know you are still laughing at me.” Chanyeol liked the amount of pink that tinged the boy’s ears and cheeks. _So cute._

“You know, it has been a while since someone cooked for me.” Chanyeol suddenly decided to speak out of nowhere. “It’s nice.” It seemed his words managed to make Baekhyun smile. “Well,” The younger spoke. “I’m glad that you don’t find me a bother.”

Of course he wouldn’t. Why would Park Chanyeol ever even consider that. He was just glad to be around Baekhyun. “Say ah!” Chanyeol felt flustered as Baekhyun fed him what was in the frying pan with the spatula. “Is it okay? Not too salty”? Asked Baekhyun.

The older male shook his head. “It’s good.”

As they ate, they talked about what Chanyeol would normally encounter during his work. With those lovely dazzling eyes, Baekhyun would laugh and grin at everything he said. For once Park Chanyeol didn’t want dinner to end, if it meant he could continue to bask in the beautiful charms of the person sitting opposite of him. Byun Baekhyun was bubbling and cheerful, but he was also thoughtful and attentive. There were so many beautiful things about this boy that Chanyeol just couldn’t help but being drawn closer and closer like a young moth to a shiny light.

Despite everything, was it okay to fall a little in love with Byun Baekhyun?

~*~

_He was running. Never in his life had Park Chanyeol ran this fast. A sensation of anxiety tugged at his heart as he leapt ahead. Where was he going? Was something wrong? Chanyeol had no clue. Street after street the police officer ran and ran. He didn’t know what he was searching for, but he had a hunch that it was something precious. Something so precious he couldn’t afford to lose._

_Chanyeol saw the flower buds on trees on the sidewalks. The approach of spring, it meant. The sun was nowhere to be found on the sky yet the amount of sunlight blinded Chanyeol. Dusk, it seemed. The night was about to fall._

_As everything darkened around him Chanyeol only kept on running. For some reason he couldn’t stop himself no matter what. It felt like darkness was chasing right after him as everything he passed by transformed into the black of the night. And then, Park Chanyeol heard himself scream that familiar name._

_“BYUN BAEKHYUN!”_

~*~

Chanyeol woke up in sweat as he panted with wide eyes. Despite the fact Baekhyun wasn’t physically in it, that was his second dream associating the boy. Something about the dream made Park Chanyeol’s body shake in unease. He felt as if a monster of anxiety was eating him alive from the inside. _Why was he calling for Baekhyun? Was the boy in trouble?!_

The police officer smothered his face with a pillow as he yelled out of utter frustration. What was the point of these dreams if he knew nothing about the actual causes of events? These were the times when Park Chanyeol felt like destiny with playing with him, treating him like a fool for trying to prevent the future. Chanyeol was desperate for answers but they were just nowhere to be found.

He felt powerless.

Since his first dream about Baekhyun, Chanyeol had been losing his focus at work. His co-worker must’ve noticed this, which was why he was called to the senior sergeant’s officer early in the morning the day after.

“Is everything alright Chanyeol?” Joonmyeon questioned out of concern as he sat down opposite of Chanyeol. “Do you need to take a break?”

The police officer shook his head. “No, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure? Because it seems you are pretty out of it. You know our job requires total concentration.” Chanyeol could only sheepishly nod in reply. The sergeant continued, “If you don’t pull yourself back together I’m afraid I’ll need to sign you off for a short-term leave.”

“…I understand.” With head down, Chanyeol muttered in reply

Later that day, as he went on patrol by himself because Sehun couldn’t make it to work again, Chanyeol felt frustrated. It felt like nothing in his life right now was moving onto the right direction, not including the fact that some things weren’t even moving at all. And the worst of all was that he had no one to blame but himself. He was the one who first chose to involve himself in the life of Byun Baekhyun. All the feelings and everything else that followed were only the result of his decision.

Park Chanyeol often found himself sighing alone since he dreamt of Baekhyun the first time. He knew that if he gave up everything now, he would never forgive himself later. And yet, there existed a part of Chanyeol that wished to forget about everything and just continue to live his normal life because this was starting to feel exhausting. Park Chanyeol was merely running around in an endless circular pattern without know what he was even chasing after.

He wished he could just close his eyes and sleep, actually sleep, without dreaming of anything or anyone.

The sound of car horn from behind him snapped Chanyeol right back to reality. Joonmyeon was right, he really needed to pull himself together. So as diligently as he could, the police officer carefully drove around the streets, precisely watching over anything that seemed suspicious. He was glad he did, because as the police vehicle approached near a high school, something troublesome seemed to be going on in alley with a crowd of student gathered around.

Chanyeol quickly park the car before stepping out. Yes, he would prove to Joonmyeon that he was perfectly fine. “Hey! What’s going on here!?” The police officer called out.

Upon witnessing his arrival, the students scrambled away. Chanyeol noticed their uniforms looked familiar. So it was just the usual teenage troubles, thought the police officer. But just as he was about to turn back to the car, Chanyeol realized there was one person who didn’t run away like the others. The figure lied unmoving on the ground, blending into the shadows.

The police officer cautiously stepped closer and closer to the person. It was a boy, judging from the uniform. With arms covering his head, the boy laid in a crouched position as if surrendering to someone. “Hey. Are you okay?” Chanyeol gently tapped on the boy’s arm. There was no reply. He must be unconscious. Was he beaten up? Chanyeol wondered with worry as he picked the boy up. His eyes grew wide in shock as the boy’s arm slid down, revealing a painfully bruised face that shattered Chanyeol’s heart into a million pieces.

“BAEKHYUN!”

~*~

“A few of his ribs are broken and his body is covered by many bruises, but his internal organs seem to be fine. He is still unconscious, probably from the pain and trauma, and it’s best for him to take a good rest for a while. Other than that, he’ll recover over time.” The doctor announced before departing from the door of the hospital ward.

“Thank god.” Chanyeol muttered before dashing inside the ward. Outside the window, the sun came out, releasing gentle rays of late morning sunlight into the pristine white room. There, beside the window, lied the yet unconscious form of Baekhyun. Chanyeol always thought he was thin but buried beneath all the white, he looked smaller and more fragile than the police policer has ever witnessed. Despite all the bruises, something about the boy’s face seemed to be at peace. Chanyeol wasn’t sure if the sight should make him feel happy or sad.

For some reason he felt afraid to step any closer to Baekhyun. _What if Baekhyun would disappear if he took another step?_ Chanyeol felt silly for thinking like a naïve child but his feet remained frozen in place. He wanted to caress Baekhyun’s beautiful face, kiss over every one of his injuries and cradle that tiny body with his own. But Park Chanyeol felt too cowardly to do any of that.

He could’ve done something. Maybe that dream was a warning sign for Chanyeol that something bad was going to happen to Baekhyun, yet he plainly ignored it and rendered the dream as something useless. Park Chanyeol crouched down and pulled his hair. _Why was he always so stupid!?_ If only he protected Baekhyun more. If only he arrived there earlier instead of daydreaming. I’m so useless, Chanyeol thought while staring at the ground. He felt ashamed to look at Baekhyun, because even after deciding he would prevent his dream from occurring, the boy still ended up getting hurt. Even when Park Chanyeol decided to not play the coward for once, destiny still played him around in the palm of its hand.

Despite demanding himself he couldn’t afford to run away this time, at this very moment Chanyeol just felt like giving up.

But a glance at Baekhyun’s form on the hospital bed made the police officer silently stand up. He clenched his fists. No. Even if he were to remain a coward, even if in the end he was just going to be played by destiny, this time Park Chanyeol was determined to protect someone, aside from himself.

~*~

That night, immersed in a dream while resting his head on the bed, the police officer didn’t notice Baekhyun’s eyes gradually open. He also didn’t notice the way the boy’s hand softly caressed his dark locks, or the tiny trembles that came from the small body. He didn’t hear sounds of quiet weeps, accompanied by an endless string of “I’m sorry”. He also didn’t hear the choked mutter of “Goodbye”.

~*~

When Chanyeol woke up the next morning, Baekhyun’s eyes were still closed. The police officer was determined to find the culprit who hurt the boy, as he immediately stood up after rubbing his tired eyes. That crowd of students, they were definitely involved, considered how fast they ran away when a police officer entered the scene. But why? Why would they hurt someone so harmless and sweet like Byun Baekhyun?

Chanyeol knew Baekhyun would hide the reason away from him, so it was only up to the police officer himself to find out.

“What do you mean it’s not big of a deal!?” The police officer exclaimed with anger as he stood up inside the sergeant’s office. “Chanyeol, calm down.” Said Joonmyeon who stayed seated.

“A high school student was found unconscious and seriously injured on the street! How can we just dismiss this as enforcers of the law and justice!?” Chanyeol further yelled.

The police sergeant sighed. “Chanyeol, I know that you are still young, and still fairly new to this job, but we aren’t a bunch of superheroes. This is none of our business if no one requested for an investigation. Yes, you are very kind for helping that young man, but what happened isn’t something we need to stick our noses into. We are already busy enough.”

“With what!? Buying coffee and ordering takeaways!?” With clenched fists, Chanyeol marched to the door. “Thanks for showing me what a bunch of cowards the police force is made up of.”

“Chanyeol! PARK CHANYEOL!”

With hurried steps the said man angrily exited the police station. His eyes occupied by nothing but annoyance and outrage as Chanyeol entered his car and drove onto the street. If no one was going to help him, fine. If he was all alone on saving Byun Baekhyun, fine. Even if the world was against him, Park Chanyeol was immensely determined to rescue the boy. He couldn’t give up, at least, it was too late to give up now.

Within a few minutes Chanyeol arrived before the site that he was certain was Baekhyun’s high school, and with confident footsteps, the police officer marched towards the principal’s office. The attendance office staff led him into a quiet corridor, then stopped outside a large dark door. She knocked, before a gentle “come in” was heard from the inside.

Chanyeol was alone now, as he stood in front of a middle-aged woman in a neat attire. He bowed. “Hi officer, how can I help you?” The principal offered a polite smile as she gestured for Chanyeol to have a seat.

“Hello. I have come today as I am concerned with incidents associating with bullying in this school.” Said Chanyeol as he straightened his back.

The principal sighed. “Is this again about what occurred two years ago?”

Chanyeol frowned. “Two years ago?” Sehun seemed to have mentioned something about that. “Sorry but, would you mind telling me about that first?”

“Well… okay. Two years ago, I wasn’t the principal to this school. There was a case of severe bullying between a group of first years and its seriousness caused the suicide of a first-year student. The previous principal was fired for disregarding the matter when it was reported, and the main culprit was caught. Everything was quiet when I came, like it was a forbidden topic. But soon enough, the school was back to normal.” Said the principal. “But I guess you aren’t here to talk about that, are you officer?”

The said male nodded. “You may not be aware of this, but yesterday I encountered a bullying scene and the students involved are those from this school. A third-year student was badly injured, and he is currently recovering in the hospital.” Chanyeol paused. “Due to the state that the student is in, and as I was informed of his family circumstances, I’m afraid this issue cannot be immediately reported by the victim, which is why I am here to inform this on my own behalf madam. I wish you can address this case and punish the bullies.”

The principal seemed taken aback but nodded in reply. Chanyeol could see sincerity in her eyes. “Yes, I will. Thank you, officer, for your troubles of getting here. I will try my best to resolve this. But would you know the name of the injured student?”

“Byun Baekhyun.

~*~

The sky was fading from blue to black when Chanyeol returned to the hospital. Because despite his reckless action of walking out of Joonmyeon’s office, the police officer still worked through his designated shift. In all honesty he was too much of a wuss to skip.

But during work, the principal’s words repeatedly flashed across Chanyeol’s mind. If the suicide of the bullied first-year student occurred two years ago, that meant right now those students involved would be in their last year of high school.

They would be in the same year as Baekhyun.

Just the thought of it made Chanyeol immensely afraid. What if… what if the same fate occurred to Baekhyun? _NO Park Chanyeol snap out of it!_ The police shook his head before stepping out of the hospital elevator. There was no way that could happen to Baekhyun. After all, the culprit was caught, right?

Chanyeol needed to see Baekhyun right now. The urge to make sure that the boy was safe made him speed up as large strides took him to the door of a particular ward. Chanyeol took in a breath. Baekhyun was fine. Baekhyun was fine. Baekhyun was-

_Baekhyun was gone._

Frantically out of utter fear and anxiety, Chanyeol searched every corner of the room. “Baekhyun! BAEKHYUN!” His voice grew hoarse as he called for the missing boy. Nothing. NOTHING! No, no this couldn’t be happening.

“Sir, sir are you okay?” A nurse entered the ward with an expression of worry. Chanyeol nervously tugged his hair. “No. No I’m not! Can you please tell me where is the patient who was here this morning? Please!”

“Hmm, he isn’t discharged yet. Maybe he’s just walking around. Try the hospital garden.”

“Thank you!” The police officer yelled before dashing out the door like a madman. Baekhyun, he must find Baekhyun. Where was he!? _Please god! Let him be here somewhere!_

Park Chanyeol ran. Without a destination he ran around the entire hospital, helplessly calling out that single precious name. Hurried apologies followed one after another as Chanyeol aimlessly dashed through walkways and corridors, occasionally bumping into different people. His lungs were burning, and his feet were sore. His heart felt like it was squeezed by a monster’s claw, one that drained every single drop of blood from the artery and vessels. Like a sightless bird Chanyeol weakly flapped his wings within a mirage of cold hard chains.

Baekhyun was nowhere to be found and the fear of every possibility of the present and future was eating Park Chanyeol alive.

~*~

_It was raining._

_The frightening knocks on his door made the boy crouch down into a trembling ball. He prayed, with eyes squeezed shut that the knocking would stop._

_“Byun Baekhyun!! We know you are in there you son of a bitch! Come and open the fucking door before we break it!! How dare you getting the police involved!? You really want to fucking DIE don’t you!?”_

_The boy covered his ears. Utter fear consumed him all at once as unstoppable trembles invaded his body. It was cold, the power was out and the thunderstorm outside seemed like the work of devils in the black of the night. Tears of panic slid down the boy’s cheeks when the door suddenly slammed open, revealing the wicked smiles of monsters._

_In what seemed like a tiny warehouse, a group of high school students crowded near the open door. The blinding flashlights all pointed towards a single direction, to the floor, where he was situated. Shivering out of utter helplessness like a small vulnerable child, Byun Baekhyun’s body was pressed against the ground by unsparing force. His clothes were wet, sticking to his body as the boy powerlessly attempted to struggle against the hands that held him down. It felt hard to breathe. The frightening atmosphere was choking Baekhyun alive._

_Only the sounds of sinful laughter echoed against the metallic walls as Byun Baekhyun screamed and cried for help. There was no help. The monsters, they clawed at the boy’s small defenseless form, tearing away anything that could shield him. But that wasn’t the end to the torture of Byun Baekhyun. The flashes of phone camera blinded the boy, as he limply lied on the cold hard ground. That beautiful face smeared by dirt, bruises and tears as more camera lights flashed directly at him. Those dirty evil claws never once left his body, as they shamelessly roamed about Byun Baekhyun’s sensitive pale skin._

_Tears finally stopped rolling down the boy’s face when all the monsters eventually left the warehouse after what seemed to be an eternity of hell and suffering. He had no more tears left to cry._

~*~

Chanyeol woke up hoarsely screaming for the name of Byun Baekhyun as beads of sweat traveled down his forehead. His hair was completely soaked in sweat, same as his shirt. Never before had Park Chanyeol felt so terrified of a dream. He too, had cried. Tripping over the foot of his bed as he rapidly ran to his closet, the police officer changed his clothes.

Time was running out. His time was running out and Byun Baekhyun’s time was also running out. He must do something, anything!

After a week Baekhyun never picked up his phone. He also happened to quit both of his jobs and stopped attending school. It seemed as if all traces of the boy merely vanished from the eyes of the police officer. Day after day and night after night, Chanyeol blindly searched for just a single sign that announced Byun Baekhyun was still well and alive. He was agonizingly desperate.

Into the dark streets Park Chanyeol drove. He sped up the car, soaring through the highway to reach Baekhyun’s school. Chanyeol didn’t want to imagine it, the future that was ahead of him. He cursed at himself for allowing destiny to manipulate this damned ability that sculpted Chanyeol into a timid, spineless fool. If only that was just a simple nightmare. Chanyeol wished he could convince himself that. He also wished time could stop forever at this very second, so that dream would never become the painfully brutal reality.

Park Chanyeol wished the future didn’t exist.

There were no warehouses inside the school. Chanyeol panted as he kept on running, just running and running. Even to the end of the earth he wouldn’t stop, if that meant he could find Byun Baekhyun and secure him safely in his arms. Moisture blurred his sight as the police officer slowly halted and stared up at the black sky in devastation and horror.

Rain.

Speeding through the heavy downpour Chanyeol drove towards Baekhyun’s place. The sickening feeling in his stomach only increased as he stepped harder on the accelerator. The precious name of the boy rang inside his head, to the point that he could barely focus on anything around him. In the haze of the duration of a heartbeat, the world spun around Park Chanyeol as he felt like he was trapped in the center of a chaotic tornado. He heard car horns blasting at him, yet he couldn’t see the vehicles.

Maybe his wish came true after all; _the world paused_.

But that wasn’t the case when Park Chanyeol was blown bright awake by the frank crash of the back of his car against a street pole. His vehicle had revolved to the side of the wet street amidst the flying reckless speed. Chanyeol had no time to ponder on his broken car, or the dribble of blood leaking down his forehead, or the sirens from the street. Escaping the glass-shattered ground the police officer sprinted down the sidewalk. Despite that he could barely see anything before him and his legs were on the limit point of breaking, Park Chanyeol couldn’t stop.

Hastily throwing his body up the stairs the police officer arrived before a long walkway of doors. From his dream he remembered Baekhyun lived on the third floor, number four. Park Chanyeol’s knees gave out as the man suddenly dropped to the floor, eyes blinking with tremendous fear, panic, alarm and everything in between. One by one, the pink mixture of blood and rain water fell in drops from his damp hair and forehead. Park Chanyeol remained frozen. At this very moment, it felt like his world just ended right in front of him.

The door to number four was thrown open, and all the dread that drained every warmth from Chanyeol’s body spoke to him in the voice of cold-blooded truth. _“No one is inside.”_

He felt nauseas and dizzy, like he was shielded by a foggy glass dome. Everything seemed to have eventually disappeared into a haze of blurry illusions. The concussion from the car crash finally kicked in, knocking Chanyeol completely down to the floor. Between shifts of black Park Chanyeol saw a set of flashing images. Byun Baekhyun was in all of them. Baekhyun kneeling before the police officer’s apartment door in his disheveled uniform, begging for the door to open. Baekhyun sinking to the floor in a heartbreaking sob. Baekhyun shivering in the cold of the night. Baekhyun. Baekhyun. Just Byun Baekhyun and his tears, Byun Baekhyun and his small trembling form.

With shaky arms Chanyeol used all the strength in him to push away from the floor. He needed to stand up. Unsteadily swaying as he did so, Park Chanyeol fell against the nearest wall for support. His eyes were occupied by the last spark of hope drowning in a sea of despair. Baekhyun was waiting for him. _How could he dare to fall right now?_

Park Chanyeol weakly trudged down the many stairs and back onto the quiet street that carried the harsh impact of the downpour. He began to run, again.

~*~

Chanyeol wished to collapse inside the elevator, but he couldn’t. He was so near. He was almost there. The elevator door opened. Park Chanyeol dashed out towards the door of his apartment. He slid down to the floor, never minding the pain, and blindly cradled the quivering body of Baekhyun into his tired but sturdy arms. “Baekhyun.” He hoarsely whispered. “Oh Baekhyun-”

The police officer was harshly pushed down to the ground as the boy stared at him with hollow eyes. A painful sensation filled Chanyeol’s heart while he peered at the raw red marks on Baekhyun’s pale exposed skin. He was taken by utter shock when the boy plunged down and forcefully clashed their lips together; the kiss tasted anything but sweet. The boy’s cold fingers were trembling when they roughly peeled away Chanyeol’s coat. Baekhyun never stopped shaking.

The older of the two tried to push away the younger, but the boy was persistent on straddling Chanyeol as he kissed the police man even harder and messier. Help, that was what the kiss desperately called for. Park Chanyeol had no choice but to grasp Baekhyun’s shoulders and unsparingly pin him against the floor. When the police officer finally had the chance to take a good look at the boy beneath him, he saw Baekhyun crying. The boy struggled against his hold, but he eventually gave up. “P-please.” Baekhyun brokenly whimpered. “ _Please… just wreck me_. M-make me feel like a dirty piece of rubbish. Just anything… Please, break me. I-if it’s you, it’s okay. Please-”

Park Chanyeol gathered Baekhyun’s fragile wet form into his arms. His skin felt as cold as ice; Chanyeol just wished to bask the boy in his own warm. His arms were tight around Byun Baekhyun and the thought of letting go never occurred to the police officer within the eternity they stayed together in that position. The boy within his arms never stopped trembling and it pained Chanyeol so, so much. The police officer didn’t utter a word. He didn’t know what to say. So, his hand moved onto Baekhyun’s head and stroked the boy’s wet locks. Baekhyun never stopped crying.

_As long as he was alive._

~*~

The rain had stopped when Chanyeol carried Baekhyun inside his apartment. The black of night had transformed into the chilly hazy blues as dawn shone upon the awakening city. But within Chanyeol’s bedroom, Baekhyun had just fallen into a feverish slumber. He had stopped trembling, yet small shapeless murmurs of words fell out his lips time to time as his features scrunched up in fright during his sleep. Park Chanyeol knew because he never left his side. Still in his semi-wet clothes, the police officer sat beside the bed and watched over the sleeping boy with eyes filled with sadness and compassion. Just looking at Byun Baekhyun made Chanyeol’s heart ache in agony. It was the type of pain that clutched one’s heart in such a firm aching grasp that it felt hard to breath, and yet it was impossible to look away. Park Chanyeol felt distressed as angry fists clenched onto sticky wet hair.

It felt as if destiny made everything in the world to fight against him.

The police officer felt immensely tired, and he just wished to close his eyes. But at this moment, he couldn’t. He needed to be strong, Baekhyun needed him to be strong. No matter what he would get through this together with Byun Baekhyun. It was a promise Park Chanyeol made with himself.

~*~

When Chanyeol woke up the bed ahead of him was empty. Out of sheer panic the police officer rose from his seat despite his excruciating torso and ran outside of his room. Byun Baekhyun. Baekhyun. BAEKHYUN. Just as his breath turned shallow and diverged from its pattern, the sound of running water from the bathroom broke through the white noise that occupied Chanyeol’s head.

Slamming the door open, which released puffs of hot steam under the warm radiating light, long strides took Chanyeol inside the bathroom as he pulled the wet bathing form of Byun Baekhyun out of the bathtub and into his arms. “C-Chanyeol?” The boy seemed taken aback.

He was warm. And he was breathing well, and alive. He didn’t leave. He was right here, right here. Park Chanyeol felt relieved. The older male whispered as he buried in his face in the crook of Baekhyun’s neck, “You are okay. Please don’t leave. _Please don’t leave me._ ” He felt Baekhyun’s body tense up for a particular second.

A gentle hand moved up Chanyeol’s spine as it softly patted his back. “Okay. But at least let me get out and put on some clothes.”

Baekhyun had fallen asleep and didn’t woke up in two days. During this time Chanyeol hadn’t moved an inch outside of his apartment. It was impossible to leave the boy’s side and the police officer wouldn’t risk anything in the world to lose Baekhyun. But this also implied sleepless hours as Chanyeol dozed off to the thought of Baekhyun’s smile, only to be haunted by his previous nightmares about that one particular boy.

In the last two days, Park Chanyeol had been so, so afraid of the possibilities.

Anxiously waiting outside the closed door of the bathroom with his spare clothes in hand, Chanyeol noticed how quiet it was. What was Baekhyun doing? But as a nervous hand placed atop the door handle, something made Chanyeol pause. Maybe he was acting too paranoid. This wasn’t like his usual self and Baekhyun probably wouldn’t be pleased if he barged in again. With a sigh, the police officer slid down with his back against the wall beside the door.

The door opened, shaking Chanyeol out of his trance as he stared up with moist eyes. Wrapped in a large towel, Baekhyun’s pale skin was painted by a light shade of pink. Despite his effort to hide them away, some bruises and marks were still exposed to the police man’s eyes, making him squeeze his fists out of anger. But what made Park Chanyeol feel so miserable and sorrowful that he forced himself to look away were Byun Baekhyun’s hollow eyes, orbs that once sparkled in delight but now appeared emotionless and grey.

“Baek…”

“I just realized that I actually have nothing to change into.” A forced laughter was released from Baekhyun’s lips. It sounded nothing but heartbreakingly sad. Handing over his clothes, Chanyeol felt like a coward for avoiding Baekhyun’s eyes, but he just couldn’t help it. Gazing into them made Chanyeol feel like he was choked in wicked darkness, something so unexplainably terrifying. “I-I’ll be in the living room.” The police officer muttered before hurriedly stepping out the room.

Why was he acting like this!? Park Chanyeol questioned himself out of sheer disappointment and exasperation as he walked around in circles in the living room. At a time when Baekhyun needed him the most, he ran away again. After so many years, Chanyeol still remained the weakling who was so afraid of confronting reality. Leo ran up to the door of the police man’s bedroom and scratched his paw on the door.

_Baekhyun was taking too long._

The realisation took Chanyeol dashing inside the room after slamming open the door. Standing before the bed, Chanyeol took in the image of Baekhyun quietly standing by the open window. With fast strides the police officer hauled the boy with great force into his arms before the two of them landed on the bed. Pinning Baekhyun under him, Chanyeol exclaimed, “What the fuck do you think you are doing Baekhyun!?”

Baekhyun’s unfazed expression and emotionless colorless eyes pierced right through Chanyeol. “I just wanted to get some fresh air.”

“Then why didn’t you come out after so long?” Chanyeol demanded. Baekhyun pushed him away and sat up. “I wanted to be alone.” And with that, the boy stood up and ran towards the apartment door. Abruptly Park Chanyeol jumped up also and snatched Baekhyun by the wrist just before the boy could reach the door handle. He couldn’t risk anything to let go of Byun Baekhyun right now.

“Baekhyun we need to talk. Please.” Begged the police officer while cornering Baekhyun into the wall. His arms were firmly planted on either side of Baekhyun’s head. “There’s nothing to talk about.” The boy deadpanned. “Let me go.”

_“Byun Baekhyun, you have planned out everything, haven’t you?”_

The boy froze. His eyes switched from voids of nothingness to those occupied by alarm and panic. There was also a small hint of sadness that lingered, even when Baekhyun’s eyes turned back to grey hollow orbs. “I don’t know what you are talking about.” He murmured.

Pressing his hand onto the boy’s shoulders with trembling eyes, Park Chanyeol hoarsely yelled, “Since that day we met, you already have everything planned! You have looked after Leo for so long on the streets that he had grown so attached to you. Do you think I wouldn’t have noticed!? So that day, despite only just meeting me, you suddenly asked me to take care of him. That was only because you knew you couldn’t look after him any longer isn’t it!? Slowly but steadily, you started to detach your existence from everything in the world. That’s why you quit your jobs and stopped going to school. Was that why you suddenly ran away from the hospital Baekhyun!? So you could wipe your presence from my life also!? Answer me Byun Baekhyun! I DEMAND YOU TO ANSWER ME!

 _Did you plan to kill yourself?_ ”

Baekhyun was trembling again when he struggled to fight against Chanyeol’s hold. The police officer freed one of his hands, only to hold Baekhyun’s face and bring it to look up at him. The boy contained an expression that screamed fury and even hatred, but endless hot tears were also rolling down his cheeks. “So, that’s a yes.” Chanyeol’s voice broke into a quiet choked murmur as he gradually let go of Baekhyun. “W-Why Baekhyun!? Tell me so I can help you-”

“Shut up shut up SHUT UP!!” Byun Baekhyun angrily screamed with glossy eyes. “You will never understand any of this, nor can you help me BECAUSE NO ONE EVER DID!” He lifted up Chanyeol’s shirt which he wore. “You see these!? They could have all raped me, but they didn’t. You know why!? It’s so they can save me up for next time, and the time after. They’ll never harm me to a hundred percentage because that means all the fun will be over!!” Baekhyun forcefully grabbed Chanyeol by the collar and shook the older male. “They made their last target kill himself. How would you feel when you turned on the news, only to hear that your best friend had jumped off a building!? And for my lowly outcast stature, my connection to _him_ , and my three years scholarship, what remained of those monsters turned to ME!”

The boy gasped for air as he let go of the police officer and dropped to the floor. “ _I’m tired Chanyeol._ So, so tired. Everything is just too hard.” As he looked down, hot tears dropped onto the floor. “I have no one left. None of my relatives want anything to do with me. I am always alone, and I am so scared Chanyeol.” Baekhyun’s voice dropped to a whisper. “ _I should’ve just died with my parents._ ”

Immediately sliding down to the ground, Chanyeol’s fist collided against the wall, turning his knuckles red and raw. “DON’T YOU EVER SAY THAT IN FRONT OF SOMEONE WHO CARES ABOUT YOU.” His eyes contained nothing but fury as they gazed with intensity into Baekhyun’s red glassy eyes. “Baekhyun don’t ever say that again!” Chanyeol tugged the boy’s trembling figure into his embrace. “No matter what. No matter how much you hate me, or how much you don’t want to continue on anymore, I won’t let you disappear. From now and onwards, I’ll make sure you aren’t alone anymore, because you have me. I will be right here for you Byun Baekhyun, until you decide to throw me away I WILL BE HERE. So please, even just for my sake, please, _stay_. Stay with me.”

Baekhyun didn’t reply. He just kept on trembling and trembling within Chanyeol’s arms. To the older it was agonizing to watch, yet he didn’t know what he could do. As brave as he made himself sound like in front of others, Park Chanyeol had always been afraid, too. For the entire of his life he had been running away, turning a blind eye to the plain future ahead. Park Chanyeol was someone who also craved for a person to lean on, to dispose all his worries and responsibilities onto.

That was why he understood how helpless Baekhyun felt, he understood perfectly. Life was hard, life was a bitch that threw all the unpleasant things right at your face during your happiest moments. But if Chanyeol kept on running and running away, _everything would be over_. Game over. Because escaping also meant total surrender.

Park Chanyeol couldn’t affording to run away anymore, at least, for the sake of Byun Baekhyun. And now he needed the boy to do the same.

“It will be okay.” Softly muttered Chanyeol as he planned a kiss on the crown of Baekhyun’s head. “ _It will be okay, because I will be here help you._

I’m a policeman, remember?”

~*~

Within Chanyeol’s arms Baekhyun cried each night away. As every tear wetted the mattress and Chanyeol’s pajama shirt, pain also gradually slid away. Because for once Byun Baekhyun felt safe. For once he didn’t feel like everything around him was choking him alive. But it was still a slow subtle process. When the darkness approached, despite Chanyeol’s radiating warmth, Byun Baekhyun still dreamt of blinding camera lights and red wicked eyes of hungry monsters. He still woke up during the middle of the night screaming with wet eyes, but instead of a void of terrifying gloom, his daunting nightmares were chased away by a tight embrace and gentle caresses of his hair that reminded him, _“it’s okay”_.

~*~

“You promised you won’t leave me.” Baekhyun murmured into Chanyeol’s shirt. His arms were so tight around the police officer that the older of the two found it hard to breathe. He didn’t want to leave Baekhyun either, but they were running out of food and Chanyeol didn’t think Baekhyun was ready to head outside yet.

“I have, but I also need to feed the both of us.” Gently uttered Chanyeol as he patted the boy’s head. “I’ll be back before you realize. I promise.” Baekhyun shook his head. He didn’t let go.

Park Chanyeol smiled before leaning down to lay a soft kiss on the top of Baekhyun’s head. “There, promise sealed.”

When the police officer stepped outside, he was greeted by the tender sunlight warmth. It felt refreshing; spring was coming. Park Chanyeol walked with his head down towards the nearest grocery store as thoughts occupied his mind. From here he had so much to do. Chanyeol still needed Baekhyun to tell him the name of every one of his bullies. Chanyeol also needed to report Baekhyun’s case to Joonmyeon. No matter what, he was going to capture those culprits and keep them away from Baekhyun for good. With him, Baekhyun would be safe. With him, Baekhyun would be protected.

Which was why Park Chanyeol needed to move fast so he could get back to the boy sooner. Chanyeol couldn’t remember when the last time was he had proper sleep, because he just couldn’t bare the idea of Byun Baekhyun disappearing from his sight the moment he closed his eyes. Park Chanyeol finally had Baekhyun safe and he was desperate to keep it that way.

Maybe it was because his eyes weren’t used to the sudden absorption of vast sunlight, or maybe it was because the weather was getting too unexpectedly warm. Chanyeol’s eyesight began to waver as he took each stride forward. Slower, and slower, and slower, and finally, his steps halted. Everything seemed as if they were dancing out of shape. Park Chanyeol felt like he was being sucked into a vacuum. The sun above him suddenly felt too overwhelming and close, while the ground appeared to be losing its presence and shape. Chanyeol felt like an immense pressure had tripped him over. He had fallen, with closed eyes.

~*~

_It occurred during the first rain that spring as soaked white petals landed upon wet ground._

_It was five minutes after midnight, and the blurry road ahead carried the weight of soft raindrops and fallen flower petals. Everything felt too calm, too peaceful. Park Chanyeol noticed the slope of the road. The flower petals caught up in the gust of wind, sweeping down the track as one of the street lights flickered. The rain grew heavier. Park Chanyeol looked down. The twinkling city beneath the cliff highway looked pretty on a raining night._

_A few steps away from him stood another person; it was a boy. Chanyeol noticed his clothes, which looked oddly familiar. It seemed as if they were picked right from his own wardrobe._

_The boy abruptly looked up. As if he felt Chanyeol’s presence, he looked over. The boy had beautiful eyes, as they reflected the flickering street lamp. He also had a beautiful smile, one that was so familiarly mesmerizing. His beautiful eyes transformed into dazzling crescents. Chanyeol felt the urge to smile back._

_Byun Baekhyun turned away. He quietly stepped between the space of the disconnected guardrails and leaped beyond._

~*~

Nothing made sense. The vast of white that swallowed him in made Chanyeol feel trapped. His eyes slowly blinked as they adjusted to the foreign surroundings. Still, nothing made sense. Why was he in the hospital? Was this just another dream? Was Park Chanyeol dreaming again? The bedsheet beneath him felt too real to the touch, so was the hospital gown he was cladded in, so was the needle in his hand that connected to a thin tubing, leading Chanyeol’s eyes to a hanging bag of clear liquid.

He blinked once. And then again. _What was going on?_

“Park Chanyeol! You finally woke up!!” Exclaimed Sehun as he stepped over to the side of the hospital bed. The said police man felt puzzled. “What are you talking about?” He hesitantly questioned.

The other male sighed as he crossed his arms. He said, “Luckily I spotted you while I was on patrol. You were unconscious, so I brought you to the hospital. But thank god you finally woke up, it had been two weeks-”

Park Chanyeol cut him off. “Two weeks!? What do you mean!?”

Sehun frowned. “You were in this hospital bed for two weeks straight. If you didn’t wake up I would’ve thought you are dead. Be grateful that I’ve been checking on you almost every day!”

The reality fell upon his shoulders and utterly crushed Park Chanyeol to the ground within the expanse of three sentences. Sickening anxiety clawed at him as he unsteadily climbed out of the hospital bed and threw away the needle in the back of his hand. On bare feet, the police officer ran towards the door of the room. That nauseating sensation in his stomach told him to get out of here.

_And go find Byun Baekhyun._

But before he could completely escape, Sehun managed to snatch onto his wrist, halting Park Chanyeol. “What the fuck do you think you are doing-”

“What’s the time?”

The other frowned in confusion. “What-”

_“I ASKED WHAT’S THE FUCKING TIME!?!?”_

Taken aback at Chanyeol’s sudden rage, Sehun let go of him and checked his watch. “It’s almost midnight.”

At that Chanyeol fled from the hospital, never minding his colleague’s calling of his name. Onto the chilly street the police officer dashed through the wind in nothing but a fluttering hospital gown. The peaceful roads that were shone upon by the blanket of stars, were disturbed by Chanyeol’s hasty footsteps. Slowly, the footpath vanished. Park Chanyeol had reach the highway the moment the first drop of rain hit his nose.

Clenching his teeth, the police officer continued to leap forward in large quick strides. Despite that the rain soaked his clothes, despite that his feet were achingly raw and red, despite that his mind was still adjusting to the current moment and time, Park Chanyeol found the lack of option to stop now. To lose Baekhyun right now was akin to losing a piece of himself, and it was a thought that Chanyeol couldn’t dare to possess at this very moment.

He only ran, and ran, and ran.

He didn’t stop when he spotted that familiar figure beneath the flashing street lamp. He didn’t stop when the figure looked up, revealing wide red eyes and trembling lips. He didn’t stop when he forcefully pulled the boy from the edge of the highway, resulting them to tumble down the slanted road.

Park Chanyeol’s back agonized in terrible pain and there were probably bruises and scratched all around his body. But the one thing that occupied the mind of the older male right now was the boy in his arms, arms that were ready to not let go for a long, long time.

“I’m sorry.” Chanyeol murmured into Baekhyun’s hair. “I’m so sorry Baekhyun.”

A weak fist collided against Chanyeol’s chest, followed by another. Baekhyun never lifted up his head as his figure laid on top of Chanyeol above the cold concrete ground, but the police officer felt those trembles again. His arms around Baekhyun tightened.

“I am so, so sorry Baekhyun. Please don’t cry.” Whispered Chanyeol under the fading rain. Air was no longer occupied by rapid falling of raindrops when Baekhyun pushed himself off of Chanyeol’s chest and yelled with tears falling from his eyes.

“I THOUGHT YOU DON’T WANT ME ANYMORE! Y-YOU NEVER CAME BACK, BUT I WAITED, BECAUSE I KNEW YOU WOULD NEVER DO THAT. YOU… YOU DIDN’T EVEN BRING YOUR PHONE WITH YOU, SO I HAD NO CLUE WHERE TO FIND YOU!! I SEARCHED ALL THE SPACES I COULD, BUT YOU WEREN’T THERE! I-IF YOU, OF ALL PEOPLE, CHOOSES TO LEAVE ME, I HONESTLY DON’T KNOW HOW TO GO ON ANYMORE! IT HURTS TOO MUCH. B-BECAUSE I DON’T THINK I CAN GO ON WITHOUT YOU!!”

“I-” With wide glossy eyes, Park Chanyeol’s mouth felt dry. Everything else that previously invaded his mind suddenly vanished and all that remained were _Baekhyun, Baekhyun, Baekhyun_. Eventually, the only words that finally came out of his mouth were, “I’m sorry.”

Byun Baekhyun dived down and embraced Chanyeol tightly with his arms around the older’s neck. He started to cry even harder, which made Chanyeol’s own tears roll down the sides of his face. They weren’t tears of pure sadness, or the opposite. They were a mixture of the bittersweet reality and a hope towards the uncertain future. They were like the fallen petals of spring, departing from a place, a moment, a time for a new light in life.

Park Chanyeol looked forward to the future ahead of them.

~*~

_[A few months later]_

Byun Baekhyun didn’t know how to feel at this particular moment. He had a choice, and he could’ve selected the simpler route. But it was too late to regret everything now, since he was already here. He knew others were staring at him, of course they would be. They were probably whispering about him too. But for reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Baekhyun didn’t care all that much. Because he never did anything wrong, _as he told, and reminded him_. And now all the bullies were caught and receiving their punishments, _all thanks to him._

The graduation ceremony proceeded smoothly, and the end was already approaching. Even after all that occurred in his three years here, there was still a hint of bitterness for leaving this place. As he walked through different crowds, Baekhyun could only smile sadly to himself upon witnessing the joyous smiles of parents.

_If they were here… would they… be proud of me too?_

People soon settled back into their seats as requested by the principal. The final name call was about to start soon. With a sigh, Baekhyun brushed the shoulder of his uniform. So, this was goodbye, the last time he shall stand in his high school uniform on campus along with his peers. Would Byun Baekhyun feel nostalgic five, or ten years from now? He could only wonder as he stared up at the blue sky. Today was a beautiful day, thought Baekhyun.

He wished he could remain in this moment of solitude under the lovely weather, but at the same time he also wished time could move a little faster. Because for the first time in a while, Baekhyun was looking forward to the life ahead of him, a future that seemed beautiful and shiny, reassuring.

_“Byun Baekhyun.”_

So, it was really time to say goodbye to the Baekhyun of the past.

Byun Baekhyun stepped onto the stage.

 

The ceremony eventually ended on a teary note. The student huddled in small groups, some offering each other their final hugs of goodbye while other wept over the ending to the most bittersweet chapter in life. Baekhyun didn’t linger in any of those groups. Instead, he marched ahead. At the gate of the high school beneath the shade of a large tree, Baekhyun halted. The tears he held in during the entire ceremony finally rolled down his cheeks as the boy grinned happily.

“I’m sorry.” Chanyeol panted as he ran towards him. “The sergeant was being a pain in the ass again and-”

There was no hesitation as Baekhyun leaped into the police officer’s arms. He even bought flowers, thought the boy while smiling into Chanyeol’s chest. _So adorable_. Baekhyun soon felt Chanyeol circling his free arm around him too. Basked beneath the warm sunlight, they stood still by the school gate. It seemed no one inside was yet willing to leave the campus ground.

“Hey,” Gently whispered Chanyeol. Baekhyun just loved hugging and being hugged by the older, because it felt like everything was going to be okay. With Chanyeol, everything was going to be okay. “do you think you are gonna miss all this?”

Without lifting up his head, Baekhyun mumbled into Chanyeol’s uniform, “I don’t know. _I don’t know_.”

The boy felt Chanyeol’s free hand caressing his head, which made his smile widen even more. “Alright.” The police officer replied.

Baekhyun pushed himself away from the older’s chest and looked up. All he could see was Chanyeol’s flustered face, probably from rushing here, Chanyeol’s wind-swept black hair, Chanyeol’s charming smile, and Chanyeol’s twinkling eyes full of affection. Abruptly, the boy pulled the police officer by the collar towards him until their lips met. He permitted himself to melt into the sweet-tasting delight of the kiss as he felt Chanyeol’s arm circling around his waist, supporting him from falling.

“Chanyeol, _thank you_.”

~*~

_You’re the right time at the right moment_

_You’re the sunlight keeps my heart going_

_Know when I’m with you can’t keep myself from falling_

_Right time at the right moment_

_It’s you_


End file.
